[Help Thread] FMC Discussion

2 hours of headache, best solution I got: 44 HTM :fp
B D' R2 F' U' B' R' F R D' L2 U2 B R2 D2 F D2 F' B2 R2 B2
Can someone find a better start?

Have F2L in 18 - Will work on completing later but may yet take it back to F2L-1 for continuation or looking at adding an insert...

On Inverse
B' F' U' F // 2x2x1
Switch to Normal
Premoves F' U F B
D F U2 // 2x2x2
B2 D B D // 3x2x2
B' R B2 R2 B // F2L-1
R B // Pseudo 3x2x1 - Requires B' Premove for F2l making Premoves B' F' U F B
 
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2 hours of headache, best solution I got: 44 HTM :fp
B D' R2 F' U' B' R' F R D' L2 U2 B R2 D2 F D2 F' B2 R2 B2
Premove: B
F L2 U //2x2x1 (3/3)
D2 R L' U R' L' U2 R D' R2 D //3x2x2 (11/14)
U R2 U' F' U F //F2L-1 (6/20)
R' U F' U' F //EO + 1 pair (5/25)
R F R2 F' //Another pair (4/29)
* R B' R2 F R F' R2 B2 //Pair 3-cycle + adjust premove (8/37)
Insert at *: B L' B' R2 B L B' R2 (8-1/44)
Solution: F L2 U D2 R L' U R' L' U2 R D' R2 D U R2 U' F' U F R' U F' U' F R F R2 F' B L' B' R2 B L B' R' B' R2 F R F' R2 B2 (44 HTM)
Can someone find a better start?

D' B U2 F' D' F B2 U2 R' B U B2 R B R2 U R U' F' U' B' U F U' R2 B R' F' B2 (29)

D' B U2
F' D' F B2
U2
R'.:B' R2 B
R' F' B2

.=B U B2 R B R2 U R U2
:=U F' U' B' U F U' B
 
First Time Doing FMC
Scramble: F' L U B2 D L B' L2 R D R B2 L D' B U2 B' F' D' F' D' L2 R' F' L2 F2 D2 U L2 R

Solution:
2x2: F L F' L2 D2
2X2X3: L' B' U' B2 U L2
F2L 1: B U B' U' B U B' U2 B2
F2L 2: U2 B L' B' L
OLL: F R2 B' R' B R'
PLL: U' F U F U F U' F' U' F2 U
Solution: F L F' L2 D2 L' B' U' B2 U L2 B U B' U' B U B' U2 B2 U2 B L' B' L F R2 B' R' B R' U' F U F U F U' F' U' F2 U

If you could give me any tips i would appreciate it it!
 
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Quick try.

First, there's a typo in your 223 block, it's:
222 : F L F' L2 D2
223 : L' B' U' B2 U L2

After that, there's an easy 221 block with:
B' L' B2 L

But it doesn't match the 223 block, so you need a premove.
Both B' as premove (before the scramble) + B' L' B2 L B2
and B2 as premove + B' L' B2 L B'
give F2L -1 slot

I choose B' + B' L' B2 L B2

Now we need to orient the edges.
y F' U' F does the job.

Now, we did not complete the F2L but we place all the edges while trying to form some blocks.
Here, we have an easy case:
R U' R' U2

Now, there's only 4 corners to cycle, and the cube will be solved.

Until now, we have:
Premove B' // 1
F L F' L2 D2 // 6
L' B' U' B2 U L2 // 12
B' L' B2 L B2 // 17
y F' U' F // 20
R U' R' U2 // 24

It's better to remove the cube rotation, and to move the premove to the end.
F L F' L2 D2
L' B' U' B2 U L2
B' L' B2 L B2
R' U' R B U' B' U2
B'

This is a 24 moves skeleton in which we need to insert two 3-corner cycles in order to get cancellations.

But it's too late here, and Insertion Finder is down... Sorry.

With the first permutation, we only need to place one corner. So, we'll probably get a lot of cancellations: 3, or 4, or even more.
With the second one, we hope 1 or 2 cancellations.
24 moves + 2x 8 for the insertions - 5 = 35 moves.

A 35 moves solution is likely.
 
Well I am now in the process of learning the <=9 move LL cases, which I will follow with the 10 move cases, as well as working on my F2l-1 to L3C Heise.

I have started producing a PDF document, mainly for my own use, but happy to make it available if anyone would like to see it when it is complete that shows the visualcube image of each LL case <=10 moves and its inverse as well as showing the edge flips, edge cycles and corner cycles resultant from each alg. Even though not completely necessary I find documents I can carry and read during lunch at work on on my weekly three hour train journey to be very useful. I recall seeing a similar document with diagrams but cannot recall the source.

Having known full OLL for about 18 months and having replaced many of them I know probably ~100 OLL algs which accounts for many low move count LL cases, it also got me exploring what edge cycles my known OLLs actually do. In my fmc solves I often explore some OLLs that match the same edge flips required to see if any leave me L3C. It got me thinking, I wondered how many LL cases are required to leave the cube either in a solved state or with a 3 cycle of edges remaining. Whilst I appreciate this is probably a question for the puzzle theory forum, it sounded like something that may have been worked on by someone in FMC at some stage!

Edit: In reality I guess this is just HTM optimal ELL but was hoping to reuse a lot of the OLLs I already know.
 
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I have started producing a PDF document, mainly for my own use, but happy to make it available if anyone would like to see it when it is complete that shows the visualcube image of each LL case <=10 moves and its inverse as well as showing the edge flips, edge cycles and corner cycles resultant from each alg. Even though not completely necessary I find documents I can carry and read during lunch at work on on my weekly three hour train journey to be very useful. I recall seeing a similar document with diagrams but cannot recall the source.

Awesome. If you list the optimal solutions for each case I will learn them all.
 
Awesome. If you list the optimal solutions for each case I will learn them all.

Well I cannot take credit for the list of algs I have, since its a compilation of lists posted historically in this thread, mainly by Irontwig. Its just I wanted to create a document to visualise their application, cycles etc to help me learn them and to spot when they can be used.

I'll post the PDF here when it is ready and give you a heads up Thom :)
 
pdf file with 10 move algs diagrams in this post by Irontwig:

http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?13599-The-FMC-thread&p=526958&viewfull=1#post526958

Selkie,
I already have visualcube images of all but three of the 6 to 9 move cases (3-cycles are excluded cause commutator).
Normal and inverse of each.
Then procrastination set in....

Lemme know if you want :)

I also have the algs in an xls file, some of them already translated to FRU (instead of the BRU) in Teemu's / Erik's list.
I thought I had saved the visualcube links too but cannot find them right now.
 
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Perfect! I know I saw it somewhere, very useful starting point and thanks too to Irontwig indirectly :)

Selkie,
I already have visualcube images of all but three of the 6 to 9 move cases (3-cycles are excluded cause commutator).
Normal and inverse of each.
Then procrastination set in....

Lemme know if you want

I certainly would. It is likely I will also recreate on green LL due to my historic blue cross for ease of my own recognition but I will certainly create a more public PDF with more conventional colour scheme. Thank goodness for &alg and &case arguments in VisualCube to make the inverses easier! Not sure the easiest method for transfer, perhaps zipped and emailed?

Thanks for the help :)
 
That reminds me that I kinda planned to learn those before going to Enschede, ah well. A lot of times you can even beat the optimal LL solution with Snyder+corner insertion anyway.
 
KCuber problem :

Scramble: F' L U B2 D L B' L2 R D R B2 L D' B U2 B' F' D' F' D' L2 R' F' L2 F2 D2 U L2 R

It's better to remove the cube rotation, and to move the premove to the end.
F L F' L2 D2
L' B' U' B2 U L2
B' L' B2 L B2
R' U' R B U' B' U2
B'

This is a 24 moves skeleton in which we need to insert two 3-corner cycles in order to get cancellations.

But it's too late here, and Insertion Finder is down... Sorry.
Insertion Finder is up again.

The solution:
F L F' L2 D2
L' * B' U' B2 U L2
B' L' B2 L B2
R' U' R B U' B' # U2
B'

Insertions:
* = U F U' B' U F' U' B : 3 moves cancelled
# = B' D' B U2 B' D B U2 : 5 moves cancelled

F L F' L2 D2
L' (U F U' B' U F' U' B) B' U' B2 U L2
B' L' B2 L B2
R' U' R B U' B' (B' D' B U2 B' D B U2) U2
B'

So, solution =

F L F' L2 D2
L' (U F U' B' U F' U2) B2 U L2
B' L' B2 L B2
R' U' R B U' (B2 D' B U2 B' D)

= 32 HTM
 
That reminds me that I kinda planned to learn those before going to Enschede, ah well. A lot of times you can even beat the optimal LL solution with Snyder+corner insertion anyway.
The <=10-move algs table helps me in about 10% - 20% of al my FMC-solves.
And it helped me for finding a 23 move solution for Per's weekly FMC #412 (still running)
Anyway, see you in Enschede!
I wil arrive on saturday morning and bring a new world-record-holder with me:)
 
Scramble: U L2 U2 B R' D' U2 R' U F' D R U' L F' L B2 F2 L B' F R2 F2 D2 U

My Solution
F' D' F R F2 U' B R F R /xcross + F2L setup
U D R U' D' /making somewhat xxxcross
R' D' R2 D R D' R' D /fin F2L
U F R F' R' U' /OLL
F2 D2 F U F' D2 F U' F /A-perm
38HTM

Using insertion finder, it found this

F' D' F R F2 U' B R F R U D R U' D' R' D' R2 D R D' R' D U F2 L F' R F L' F2 R' U'
33HTM

with this insertion F' D' F R F2 U' B R F R U D R U' D' R' D' R2 D R D' R' D U F [@1] R F' R' U'
Insert at @1: F L F' R F L' F' R'

This is 5 moves less, ie saving 10% of my total

Can anyone explain, or link me to a strategy or way for finding insertions? I can clearly see it being quite useful for FMC and I would like to learn more.
 
But really, if you know how 8 move comms work you shouldn't really need someone telling you how you do inserttions; just sticker pieces and go move by move through your skeleton.
 
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